Sally Hogshead Bio

SALLY HOGSHEAD: Fascinating ideas, whipsmart research, and passionate action— shaken and stirred with a tangy slap of inspiration.

Sally is the Chief Fascination Officer of Fascinate, Inc. She is an international keynote speaker, with proprietary research published by both HarperCollins and Penguin.

Using her science-based Fascinate system, she teaches how to instantly persuade and captivate in a world with a 9-second attention span.

CAREER SUCCESS

Growing up with the last name “Hogshead” would give anyone an unconventional point of view.  In her early 20s, Sally was named “the most successful junior copywriter of all time.” During her early career in marketing, her work won hundreds of awards for creativity and effectiveness. At age 27, she founded her first ad agency, and next, founded the West Coast office of the illustrious agency CP+B. Clients have included Nike, Coca-Cola, Godiva, Aflac, and MINI Cooper.

Today, an expert of persuasion and personal branding, Sally frequently appears in national media including NBC’s Today Show and the New York Times. The press has described her as “the marketing mistress of fascination” who has “changed the face of North American advertising.” Reality TV show Making It Big dedicated an episode to Sally’s leadership and creativity. She is frequently described as an ”icon.”

In 2010 and 2011, Sally led “Project Fascinate” for the Jägermeister brand (yes, that notorious liqueur). Within months, Jägermeister was named one of the “Hottest Global Brands” by Advertising Age.

RESEARCH ON THE SCIENCE OF FASCINATION

Sally’s internationally-acclaimed book, FASCINATE: Your 7 Triggers to Persuasion and Captivation, has been translated into 14 languages, with praise from thought leaders such as Seth Godin and Tom Peters.

In 2006 Sally began her research on fascination, including a groundbreaking national study by a global market research firm Kelton Research. Her research uncovered that the average attention span is now only 9 seconds, and that the brain is hardwired to focus on 7 specific types of messages.

THE F-SCORE PERSONALITY BRAND TEST

Sally is the creator of The F-Score, the world’s first test that measures how a person fascinates. Unlike Myers-Briggs or StrengthsFinder, this test is not about how you perceive the world— but how the world perceives you. 

The F-Score has helped over 75,000 participants discover their natural strengths of persuasion.

BACKGROUND

While studying at Duke University, Sally lived with an African tribe inside a goat dung hut. After graduation, she began a career in advertising, and in her second year, won more awards than any other writer in the U.S.

Sally’s first book was RADICAL CAREERING: 100 Truths to Jumpstart Your Job, Your Career, and Your Life. Published by Penguin, it outlines the rules for building a no-compromises career with a fascinating personal brand. Marcus Buckingham, one of the leaders behind Gallup’s StrengthsFinder, writes: “Take inventory of your strengths, identify your passions, then do everything in your power to carve your career toward them. Only then will you, and everyone else, see the best of you. Want to know how? Read this book.”

» Sally’s 6 word bio: Radical ideas, passionate action, keenly executed.

WHAT SALLY BErLIEVES:

• The world is not changed by people who sort of care.

• You don’t learn how to be fascinating. You unlearn how to be boring.

• In a competitive environment, the most fascinating option wins. Always.

• Stand out, or don’t bother.